Nigerian govt officials are illiterates –Oyedepo

 
THE founder of the Living Faith Church, also known as Winners' Chapel International,  Bishop David Oyedepo, has berated Nigerian leaders over government's insincerity, saying that a revolution in the political arena will  prevent the country from disintegration.

Oyedepo said this at the launch of the United Nations-Global Report on Human Settlements held at the Africa Leadership Development Centre, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, on Tuesday.

The cleric lamented the gross insensitivity of the government to the plight of the masses, describing most people in government as illiterates.

He said: “Something may strike in Nigeria soonest. There must be a revolution in our political arena if we want to be redeemed from total collapse. Our politicians are sitting on a keg of gunpowder. “It is a pity that we have a system that is highly insensitive to the plight of the people. Most people in government today are largely made up of illiterates who don't have interest in information.”

He noted that poor governance had ravaged the nation, insisting that government lacked the ability to facelift the poor state of infrastructures.

“Nigeria has been afflicted with poor governance which is our greatest problem. Government doesn't have the capacity and morality to revamp our infrastructure.

“Nothing about government has ever worked. Everything is actual political robbery. There is gross insensitivity from the part of the government,” he said.

The Director, Monitoring and Research Division, UN-HABITAT, Nairobi, Kenya, Professor Oyebanji Oyeleran-Oyeyinka identified good governance capacity as the only measure in tackling the various problems posed by climate change.

The don, who presented the UN-Global Report 2011 at the event, claimed that the questionable status of governance in Nigeria had hindered the improvement of urbanisation.

He, however, stated that only good policies and infrastructural deficit are the solutions to some of the problems.

Oyeleran-Oyeyinka said: “The good governance capacity of countries must start to improve. Infrastructural deficit is a major starting point in dealing with climate change. Nigeria cannot claim not to have money to do the basic thing but because our governance capacity is highly questionable.”

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Aize Obayan maintained that universities must continue to encourage viable linkages and partnership in galvanising potential, expertise and resources to improve the human condition.